Phillip Washington

CEO

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)

Phillip came to Los Angeles at a time when Metro has five major rail, plus highway projects, under construction – together representing the largest modern public works program in the United States. In his position as Metro CEO, Phillip oversees an agency that transports 1.4 million boarding passengers on an average weekday, riding on a fleet of 2,000 clean-air buses and six rail lines. Metro also is the lead transportation planning and programming agency for Los Angeles County. As such, it is a major construction agency that oversees bus, rail, highway and other mobility related building projects. Phillip came to Los Angeles from Denver, where he was Assistant General Manager for nearly 10 years, prior to being named CEO in 2009. In Denver, he implemented the FasTracks program, one of the largest voter-approved transit expansion programs in the country. Under his management, Denver’s West Line Rail was completed under budget and eight months earlier than scheduled and the award-winning Denver Union Station was completed five months ahead of schedule. Also in Denver, Phillip spearheaded implementation of the first-of-its-kind $2.2bn transit P3. His emphasis on measuring and managing agency performance led the agency to a nearly 90% on-time bus and rail service and 96% ADA on-time performance. In 2012, Phillip’s emphasis on safety training led to a 40% decrease in preventable bus accidents. Phillip is a 24-year veteran of the United States Army where he held the rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest non-commissioned officer rank an enlisted person can achieve. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Columbia College and an M.A. in Management from Webster University. He is current chair of the American Public Transportation Association.